Can you roast too quickly?

Discuss roast levels and profiles for espresso, equipment for roasting coffee.
WSH
Posts: 291
Joined: 11 years ago

#1: Post by WSH »

New to roasting, I've only done a little bit in a cast iron pot, with some limited success. Picked up a popcorn popper at a thrift store today on an impulse and tried roasting a pound or so tonight. Other than having to jury rig everything a little, tilt the popper a little to keep the beans from "popcorning" out. Then build a heat shield out of tin foil to shield the plastic top that started to show signs of being on the verge of melting. However, IMO, the results were remarkably good with a nice even roast but the whole process took about half the time it took with the cast iron pot.

Which leads me to my question. With 1st crack was right at just under 4 minutes and the beginning of 2nd crack around 6 to 7 minutes, depending on the bean and how hot the popper was when starting. This all seems very quick, maybe too quickly, from what little I've read about the subject. I think? :D

Any ideas, input, direction, suggestions, would be appreciated.

Thanks.

User avatar
endlesscycles
Posts: 921
Joined: 14 years ago

#2: Post by endlesscycles »

That's too fast. However, rules are meant to be broken. Important thing is take good notes and taste everything side by side.

With that said, here is a conservative range to work within:

green to yellow in 3-6min
yellow to first in 3-5 min
first to finish in 1-4 min
-Marshall Hance
Asheville, NC

Advertisement
jedovaty
Posts: 536
Joined: 13 years ago

#3: Post by jedovaty »

You can slow it down a little by attaching it to a long extension cord :)

User avatar
cannonfodder
Team HB
Posts: 10497
Joined: 19 years ago

#4: Post by cannonfodder »

If you roast too fast you will end up with an under roaster center. Like sticking a turkey in the over at 500 degrees. Just because the outside looks GBD (golden brown and delicious) the inside will be raw. A coffee that was roasted to fast will have a grass/hay flavor to it, lack sweetness and may pucker your face due to the high acidity. Once thing I do after a roast is to break open a bean and inspect the inside. It should be a uniform color from outside to inside.
Dave Stephens

espressojr
Supporter ♡
Posts: 151
Joined: 13 years ago

#5: Post by espressojr »

popcorn poppers do roast fast. it is one of the limitations of this type of roaster.

you might want to play with the amount you roast- adding more beans will slow the roast. I know some people have inserted a can to extend the chamber and added more beans that way. You can also control the temp somewhat by lifting the lid to allow more air in and roasting outside where the ambient temp is lower (e.g. morning and evening). It's a fun way to get started but you will soon find there are some pretty severe limitations (the main one for me was that I could only roast about 100g at a time).

have fun, play around the enjoy your coffee
jim

summer
Posts: 183
Joined: 12 years ago

#6: Post by summer »

I say, experiment some more with your cast iron roaster. I've used mine the last 6 month on my gas stove, and written down a lot of roasting details, learning after every roast - and you can really roast delicious coffee this way.
It's more difficult than pushing a button, yes - but hey, check it out.

User avatar
Randy G.
Posts: 5340
Joined: 17 years ago

#7: Post by Randy G. »

So many of us started down a similar road. The air poppers of a decade ago were about all the home roaster had when starting out. They roasted mush like the popcorn popper with a roast that would last no more than about ten minutes- often times less. Depending on brewing method, times closer to 12 to 15 minutes will yield better result to mos coffee drinkers. While the coffee you have produced may taste good to you (and there is nothing wrong with that) never overlook a possibility that has the potential to make it taste better!
EspressoMyEspresso.com - 2000-2023 - a good run, its time is done

Advertisement
WSH (original poster)
Posts: 291
Joined: 11 years ago

#8: Post by WSH (original poster) »

cannonfodder wrote: ............A coffee that was roasted to fast will have a grass/hay flavor to it,............

Dave you called that one brother! Brewed some this morning, 36 hours or so post roast. And it was great, or would have been if you were a horse or goat. Wow, never had such a grassy/hay flavored brew before. Didn't have time to do a " beanopsy" but will do so tonight. Or maybe tomorrow when everyone else is watching the Super Bowl! ZzzzZZzzzZzzz! :shock:

Next question, will this grassy/hay flavor diminish with time, after a few more days of rest? Or is this batch doomed and headed for the barnyard?

FWIW, it's was roasted right up to and barely on the verge of the 2C, with one or two beans cracking right after I cut the heat. I slightly overshot, won't be the last time I'm sure. :)

BTW,thanks to everyone else who offered advice, I learned something from every reply.

WSH (original poster)
Posts: 291
Joined: 11 years ago

#9: Post by WSH (original poster) »

Another question for anyone. Where would you start first to experiment with slowing the roast cycle? Before 1C or after, between 1C and finishing?

I'm thinking since the times up to and including 1C and 2C have been fairly predictable. I can bump the power on and off in cycles for 30 seconds, 1 minute, etc,....to slow the roast down and the beans more time to catch up with one another. Maybe even finish the roast that way. Cutting the power right after 1C and then bump it in short bursts, to ease up to and achieve your final desired level. Of course, always trying to finish in a more traditional, accepted, time frame.

User avatar
JmanEspresso
Posts: 1462
Joined: 15 years ago

#10: Post by JmanEspresso »

I used a bunch of "home" methods for a while before I went to the Hottop.

My first ever roast, was by using three items.

-Cheap metal mixing bowl
-Wooden Spoon
-Heat gun

Add green coffee to the bowl, hold the heat gun over the bowl, annnnnnnnd.... stir.

I tell you what, my Father thought I was nuts! "You're gonna do what???? With what?? Haha, sure Jeff, go ahead, roast your coffee :roll: "


He had a different look on his face 3 days later when he tasted that coffee. It was more like :shock:. And I was all like :mrgreen:


Anyway, I roasted with a heatgun and a bowl/spoon for a while, and around the same time my heatgun died, I found a "Popcorn Pumper" in my grandparents attic. Sweet! I simply removed the top plastic chute the popcorn pops out of, and drilled a hole through the center to add a simple thermometer. I roasted a lot of coffee in that little guy. Eventually made some mods to try and get more coffee at one time(Because with our consumption of coffee, I was roasting almost daily, and a lot at a session). A couple tips I have that may or may not help you with the popper.

-Try and drill a hole into the main chamber so you can get a therm in there. A simple dial therm that will read hot enough is fine, but if roasting is something you'll stick with and upgrade down the line, investing in a Ktype thermocouple and a reader/therm is a wise investment.

-You're roasting in a popcorn popper, which is an air roaster. 1-you're roasts will always be faster than drum roasts. And since you have little to no control over the heater/fan, they will always be faster than youd like. but good results are possible!

-The amount of coffee will change the roast time. The more coffee you add, the FASTER it will roast. To a point..eventually you will add too much and it will be too much to handle properly. When you turn on the popper with the green beans inside, the maximum batch size should need to be stirred just a few times to get going. If you turn it on, and the fan starts and you give the beans a few stirs, but they wont start spinning round the chamber on their own, you've got too much, take out a few spoonfuls.

-I want to say I roasted between 50 and 75grams at a time, but I honestly cant be sure. Each popper is different sized, so, I suggest just filling up the chamber until the beans wont spin on their own after youve given them a couple stirs to help them get going, and then once you've got them spinning(and its ok if its kinda slow at first, as long as their moving), take those beans right back out and weigh them. there is your max batch size. Start trying less and less coffee at a time, until you get to the point where the beans just fly around the chamber at warp speed and never roast.

-Using long extension cords can help lower the voltage to the roaster and slow things down. Also, if you're feeling in the mood to mod, you should see if adding a dimmer switch to your heater and or fan is possible on your model. Probably is a dIY somewhere on here, CG or Sweetmarias.

-Roasting int he cold weather outside can also slow down the roast, but be careful, don't want to slow it down to the point of stopping! Put the popping in a cardboard box to cut down on wind, but still takle advantage of the cold.


And most importantly, ROAST ROAST ROAST ROAST ROAST. Buy greens and just roast em. Give them away if you cant drink them fast enough, but just roast and roast and roast. Its fun, and its how you will learn about roasting coffee. Soon, you will satisfied with your roasts to the point where you are proud to give your coffee to family and friends, because you KNOW its better than anything theyve ever had.

Best of luck!

Post Reply